Editor's Note

The FOI Advocate is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The blog relies on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. We will correct errors and inaccuracies when we become aware of them.

“We have over three thousand government contracts and task orders acquired under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) available now with more added every day,” said Ashlea Higgs, senior manager, INPUT Network. “Government FOIA offices are overloaded and requests often take several months to complete. By making our library available, we hope to offload some of the volume of requests to FOIA offices and provide immediate access to these documents to citizens and organizations that have a need.”

By providing access to government contracts, INPUT expects to help government agencies and contractors make better decisions as it relates to government planning and acquisition. Contractors may get the benefit of understanding the work currently being performed on a contract as a means to better understand the needs of that agency.

Government contractors don’t have the luxury of waiting for the government to release an RFP to decide if they should bid,” said Higgs. “Having access to an existing contract prior to release of an RFP can help a company decide much earlier whether it has the skills and resources to pursue an upcoming contract.”